Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Monday, July 19
Jul 19, 2010
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Blog: Citizens Actuarial and Underwriting Committee Approves 2011 Rates
A Citizens Property Insurance committee approved a proposal today to increase premiums by up to 11.3 percent.
Dangerous crack forces residents out of Sarasota high-rise condo
To the list of things Florida homeowners have had to worry about – hurricanes, sinkholes, termites, foreclosure, Chinese drywall – add this: fears that your 16-story condominium might collapse.
Blog: Florida Insurance Consumer Advocate–Taxing foreign property insurers will raise rates
Florida Insurance Consumer Advocate Sean Shaw spoke out against a federal proposal to tax foreign insurers and reinsurers.
Realtors, Florida Business Owners Weigh Impact of Insurance Veto
Local Realtors and small business owners are watching and waiting to gauge the impact of Gov. Charlie Crist’s veto of an insurance reform bill that would have allowed insurance companies to raise rates without first getting approval from the Office of Insurance Regulation.
A strong field of seven contenders jumped into the Republican primary to replace outgoing Rep. Julio Robaina in this Y-shaped district that extends from Cutler Bay up into Coral Gables and beyond.
Editorial: Property insurance reform reveals a harsh truth
THE ISSUE: Property insurance premiums keep climbing
Florida homeowners are caught between a rock and a hard place. Despite not suffering from a severe storm since 2005, and regardless of reforms intent on stemming rate increases, consumers across the state are still suffering insurance premium shock.
Weather service official fears agency’s staffing too thin for a hurricane
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is creating a lot more work for the National Weather Service
WCI, recovering from bankruptcy, resumes building along Florida Gulf Coast
Company’s Chinese Drywall Trust could soon be part-owner, pursue claims against insurers
David Fry remembers the call like it was yesterday. Nearly two years ago, he got an urgent call from billionaire investor Carl Icahn in New York.
Brevard hurricane shutter scammer wins early release from prison
Hurricane shutter scam artist Andrew Fernald has learned how to behave.
Column: Money Smarts — The risk of politicizing insurance
Basically, the insurance business is one of pricing risk. To do this, analysts (called actuaries) review the history of relevant events, current trends and potential changes in the future.
Florida, other states reach settlement over Lifetrend policies
Florida insurance regulators along with those in four other states settled complaints about Lifetrend life insurance products by requiring parent company Conseco Life Insurance to create a $10 million fund for some customers.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office works to save lives on Lake Worth ‘Corridor of Death’
It’s known as the “Corridor of Death.”
Medicare corruption gusher worsens in South Florida
Among South Florida’s fearless Medicare rip-offs — and there are thousands — is the story of Guillermo Denis Gonzalez.
Florida hospitals join forces to cut readmissions
Eighty-one hospitals in Florida are teaming up with one important goal: to reduce the number of infections and complications that occur after surgery.
Crist-GOP split likely to overshadow action in special session
A proposed offshore drilling ban may quickly drown this week in a flood of election-year rancor between GOP lawmakers and a governor who abandoned their party.
FDIC sells $332M in bad Florida loans
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. sold a large stake in bad residential loans made by the failed AmTrust Bank, including $332.3 million in Florida mortgages.
U.S. set to announce Everglades restoration project
The federal government says it will announce a major restoration project for a portion of the Florida Everglades.
Blog: Florida Supremes stay lower court battle over Fair Districts
The fate of the Fair Districts redistricting proposals on the November ballot – Amendments 5 and 6 – will be decided by the state Supreme Court.
Tax-break reversal leaves Florida solar power owners in the dark
Bill Bright crunched the numbers when he and his wife talked about adding solar roof panels and a solar water heater to their Westside Jacksonville home last summer.
Democrats raise $700K for state party at Hollywood dinner
With Florida in the throes of the wildest and most wide-open election in decades, Democrats girded against a Republican-friendly political climate and gathered Saturday for one of the state party’s most successful annual fundraising dinners.
Attorney general candidates debate whether health care is a right or a privilege
A lawsuit challenging the federal health care legislation provoked the most conflict during a forum Friday for Florida’s attorney general candidates.
McCollum unveils his education plan
GOVERNOR RACE: Expand vouchers and make it easier to fire teachers
Republican Bill McCollum on Friday became the first of the state’s major gubernatorial candidates to offer a specific plan for improving Florida’s schools.
Irv Slosberg seeks return to Florida House
Opponent Sheldon Klasfeld says Slosberg’s a “one-trick pony”
It’s a remarkable transformation that may turn a shunned politician into a comeback success story.
‘Scare Tactics’ Decried On Foreign Reinsurance Bill
U.S. insurers scoff at potential impact on capacity and price for cat coverage
Foreign insurers are “using scare tactics” to maintain the status quo and discourage Congress from passing tighter rules over the ceding of premiums offshore by the U.S. affiliates of foreign carriers, a leading CEO told a congressional hearing last week.
Surplus Lines Industry Says It Is ‘Big Winner’ In Financial Reform Bill
Surplus lines insurers are big winners in the financial reform bill that Congress believes will prevent another economic meltdown that caused the current Great Recession.
NAIC to Launch Hearings, Data Call on Insurance Scoring
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners is preparing to launch a new initiative on credit-based insurance scoring that will result in a nationwide data call for automobile insurers.
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Reaches Settlement for Ike-Related Claims
Nearly two years after Hurricane Ike destroyed the town of Galveston, Texas, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association has agreed to pay an estimated $189 million to policyholders whose homes were shattered by the storm.
Texas Verification Program: Number of Uninsured Vehicles Declines
Since the launch of the TexasSure auto insurance verification program two years ago, the number of uninsured vehicles on Texas roads shows signs of decline, the Texas Department of Insurance reports.
Business Week: Insurer Losses Trigger Most Regulator Intervention in a Decade
U.S. life and health insurers were subjected to regulatory intervention last year at the fastest pace in a decade as they lost money on investments and promised more to clients than they could deliver.
Iowa: Certificate of Insurance Forms Must Be Approved Beginning Sept. 1
The Iowa Insurance Division recently issued a reminder insurance companies and insurance producers that effective Sept. 1, 2010, certificate of insurance forms must be approved before such forms may be used.
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